Photos: 10 things about Kate Middleton’s morning sickness

12.03.2012

Policeman stand guard outside the King Edward VII hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted with a severe form of morning sickness, in London, Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. Prince William and his wife Kate are expecting their first child. St. James's Palace announced the pregnancy Monday, saying that the Duchess of Cambridge — formerly known as Kate Middleton — has a severe form of morning sickness and is currently in a London hospital. William is at his wife's side. The palace said since the pregnancy is in its "very early stages," the 30-year-old duchess is expected to stay in the hospital for several days and will require a period of rest afterward. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

1. Kate Middleton is in hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute morning sickness that affects about one to two per cent of all women. About 70 per cent of all women suffer from regular, non-acute morning sickness; for most women, the condition resolves itself by the end of the first trimester.Paul Burns/Clarence House
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2. Middleton’s condition is so severe she has been admitted to hospital, forcing St. James’s Palace to reveal she is pregnant. “As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter,” a statement from St. James’s Palace said. Prince William is at the hospital with Middleton, according to the Britain’s Press Association.Theodore Wood
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3. “Hyperemesis gravidarum is a condition that affects one per cent of pregnancies, typically in the first trimester,” Dr. Kecia Gaither, of the Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, told the New York Daily News. “It is characterized by protracted nausea, vomiting, weight loss.”Getty Images
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Barely had St. James’s Palace confirmed Kate Middleton’s pregnancy when the new baby babble began … including the delicious notion that the Duchess of Cambridge’s acute morning sickness is a sign she is carrying twins. Keep clicking to see 10 things about Kate Middleton’s morning sickness.Getty Images
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4. The twins rumour mill is in overdrive: 1) The condition is sometimes associated with women having twins, according to ABCnews.com. 2) Extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can happen if you are pregnant with twins (or more), adds the U.S. National Institutes of Health. 3) And Dr. George Macones, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Washington University in St. Louis and a spokesman for the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, says hyperemesis gravidarum can be more common in women carrying twins or triplets.Getty Images
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5. Women with hyperemesis gravidarum generally lose about five per cent of their pre-pregnancy weight. Middleton had better be careful; by conservative estimates, she has already lost at least 15 pounds since the announcement of her engagement to Prince William.ARTHUR EDWARDS/AFP/Getty Images
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6. Hyperemesis gravidarum poses little risk to the baby, says Dr. George Macones, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Washington University in St. Louis and a spokesman for the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.Getty Images
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7. Middleton can expect her condition to last until at least Week 16 of her pregnancy; however, about one-fifth of women experience morning sickness throughout their pregnancy.Getty Images
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8. Doctors say hyperemesis gravidarum is caused by rapidly rising blood levels of a hormone called HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, which is released by the placenta.Chris Jackson
/ Getty Images

9. Doctors usually prescribe lots of fluids, followed by anti-nausea medications such as vitamin B6, a drug called Zofran or others.Anthony Devlin/WPA Pool
/ Getty Images

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